This application claims priority for German application no. DE 19961009689, now German patent No. DE 19609608, filed on Mar. 13, 1996.
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to heat exchange and, more particularly, to heating and cooling within an enclosed cabinet.
2. Background of the Invention
Switch cabinets are known in the art such as the one disclosed in DE 33 26 977 C2 where a unit that is built in or added on, for example in the form of an air conditioner subassembly, is monitored and controlled and regulated. In such a switch cabinet, however, the air conditioning can only be regulated globally for the entire cabinet volume. In such switch cabinet, adjustment relating to specific requirements, not only for the air conditioning but also for other functions of the switch cabinet, are not possible.
A switch cabinet having an arrangement that would allow for the monitoring and control of built in and added components such as an air conditioner would be an important improvement in the art.
An object of the invention is to provide a switch cabinet that overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a simple design for a switch cabinet that offers a number of possibilities with regard to monitoring and control under various conditions of application. How these and other objects are accomplished will become apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings.
The invention involves a switch cabinet that is equipped with a central control device that can be connect to monitoring and/or control arrangements through predetermined inputs and outputs that allow for the monitoring, control and/or regulation of various built in and/or added components.
According to the invention, the information from and to various monitoring and control subassemblies is brought together, processed and acted upon in a central control device. This allows the conditions of the various built in and/or added components to be individually and interdependently determined, given the current conditions of application. In this way the switch cabinet can be adapted to very different requirements inside as well as outside, whereby the desired conditions can be reliably monitored.
Specifically, it is provided that the monitoring components feature a sensor device with, depending on need, at least a humidity sensor, a door end switch, a temperature gauge, a vibration sensor, a smoke detector, a current transducer, a voltage transducer and/or a customer temperature sensor. Such monitoring components allow different types of information with regard to varying operating conditions and safety measures to be collected and evaluated. The signal transfer and processing is carried out in a simple manner in that the sensing arrangement is connected bidirectionally with the central control device through an input interface.
The operating reliability of the entire monitoring system is improved as a result of measures where the monitoring components feature function monitoring that includes a voltage supply device and operating value monitoring that allows for a switch over to an emergency power if the normal power supply is interrupted. Such switch over results in programmed emergency functions being appropriately maintain and the central control device separately buffered.
The air conditioning system is organized in a simple manner and visually arranged for clarity with regard to control and regulation. Measures are taken such that the control subassemblies feature a regulating and control interface that is bidirectionally connected to both the central control arrangement and to an air conditioning device. Such air conditioning device includes, depending on requirements, at least a heat exchanger, a fan, a cooling device, a heater and/or a customer fan such that the signals required for the regulation and control can be generated in the regulation and control interface, and the air conditioning device can be controlled by corresponding signals from the central control device.
An overview of the operating status and the ability to control it through the corresponding output devices are provided in that the control components feature an output interface that is bidirectionally connected to both the central control unit and to an output device. Such output device features, as required, at least a relay, an optical coupler, a bus system output, a telemetry output, a PC interface output, an analog signal output, a display device, an LED display and/or a symbol display unit with symbol display elements. Signals generated from the central control device can be transduced in the output interface to actuate the output device.
If it is provided that a programming and keying unit and/or a master terminal are bidirectionally connected to the central control device such that test procedures held in permanent memory can be called up using the programming and keying device and certain parts of programs can be changed and/or customer specific reference values can be entered, then function testing and changes in the set parameters, such as temperature set point values, can be undertaken at any time and in a simple manner. In this way adjustment with regard to changed conditions is also readily possible.
The invention is explained in more detail in the following on the basis of exemplified embodiments with reference to the drawing.